The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-27
Wrecked by an Operator.

On last Monday night two freight trains
on the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad came
into collision near Charleston, w. Va.
Two engines and fifteen freight cars loaded
with merchandise were demolished Imme-
diately after the accident the demolished
cars caught fire and, with their contents,
were consumed. The total loss was about
S75,000
What was the cause Of the accident2
Why, young telegraph operator fell
asleep while on duty. The question which
presents itself is this: Was the operator
qualified for the position which he occupied
He may have known how to send and re-
ceive messages, but was he old enough and
had he sufficient experience to understand
the responsibility which rested upon him2
Accidents are all the time happening on
railroads through the carelessness and incom-
potency of employees, and in these accidents
hundreds of lives are lost and thousands of
dollars worth of property are destroyed
every year. Still there are railroad COM
panies which continue to employ unfit men
because they can be obtained for small
wages. These men are put into responsible
positions and, feeling that they are not
adequately paid, or not realizing the respon-
sibilities of their positions, they neglect
their duties and disastrous accidents are the
result
The desire to make good dividends, and
thus please the stockholders, or to make
handsome showing of net earnings to aid
speculation, influences railroad managers in
too many instances to pay wages that will
secure the services of only those who have
no feeling of responsibility and no fitness
for the discharge of the duties required of
them.
This young operator who caused loss of
So, 900 TO the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad
was clearly unfit for the responsible place
he held. Boy-like, he yielded to tired and
sleepy feeling, thinking perhaps that the
clicking of his instrument would
awaken him if he were called. A
carefully selected man would never have
taken such risk He would have remained
awake as long as he was on duty. The pres
sure for dividends, however, is so great that
railroad managers are often forced to put
incompetent mon in responsible places.
The Canadian government, in attempting
to prevent the construction of the Red
River railroad, connecting that distant
province with the great American systems
of roads, is fighting against fate in attempt
ing to divert trade from its natural chan
nels If persisted in, this effort to save the
Canadian Pacific monopoly may lead to n
serious strain upon the union of the prov
inces and greatly increase the number of
Canadians who look to annexation to the
United States as the only cure for the
economic ills which afiiict the Dominion. If
they must be prisoners they may think it
better TO have the freedom of the whole
continent than of a thin line of rocky prov
inces on the edge of the polar wastes
From the reports in the New York papers
the Republican immigration Commissioners
at Castle Garden, New York, are incompe-
tent and unfit for their positions, and the re-
ports seem to be well founded. The propo-
sition to remove them calls forth from the
Republican partisan papers the statement
that the attacks on the commissioners are
intended only for political capital, and that
if they are removed it will be because their
places are wanted for some of the political
pets of the administration. When was il
that the Republican papers ever advocated
anything because it was right! The readi-
ness with which they will cover up the
wrong-doing of Republican officials is mar
velouS
The discomfort caused among the anti
German Maryland Democrats by the SEN
etor's ascendency in State politics and his
allnrnd cnntrnl of Endntal an,nnirtn,n,,.n L.